A Liquid Lunch -Open-

[Deleted]

He needed a drink. Covering his face with his hands, Tristan released a long and frustrated sigh. He understood his position. He understood the duties and requirements that were expected of him. However, the one thing Tristan couldn’t understand was why the hell he couldn’t have been working with witches and wizards who actually knew what they were doing. Every time a new case or problem arose in the Department of Magical Games and Sports, its folder would land on his desk. Even the small issue of two old wankers posting the department to argue over the official rules of Gobstones.

Dropping his hands from his face, Tristan looked over at the mass pile of folders that were sitting on the edge of his desk. Ten of them had come from the past two days. The other twenty five had come in from this week. Usually, he was always efficient in responding to the folders. It normally only took him a few hours to close one and another two seconds to open up another one to take his place. Today though, Tristan decided he needed a break.

Tristan leaned forward, pressing a button on his telecom. “Marguerite.” It took only a second for his assistant to respond. ”Yes, Mr. Stavros?” He shook his head. He hated being called mister. It made him sound so…old. “Marguerite, how many times do I have to ask you to please call me Tristan?” The woman started apologizing quickly. ”I’m so sorry Mr…I mean…Tristan.” She giggled slightly. ”I’m just used to the formal work world. What can I do for you?” she responded. “Please come into my office.”

He chuckled as he heard her push her chair away from her desk and practically run to his door. Marguerite was a funny witch. He was convinced that she was obsessed with him. How many other witches did he know that left him a note written on pink paper smelling like her perfume on his door every morning before he got to work? Marguerite knocked on the door once before allowing herself in. Beaming, she straightened her skirt and entwined her hands. ”What can I help you with si…Tristan?”

Tristan glanced over at the pile of folders on his desk and nodded at them. “I am getting tired of seeing this pile of folders growing on my desk each day, especially when I know certain employees can handle them,” he said, leaning back in his chair “I would like you to sort through them and determine to which division each should go. After doing that, I need them dropped off to each division with a warning that these had better not appear at my desk again unless everyone in the division has looked at them and cannot decide what needs to be done with them. Also, let them know that these need to be finished by the end of tomorrow. I’ve got other matters on my plate then staying here late every night because everyone else is lazy.”

Pushing himself from his desk, Tristan walked over to his coat rack to retrieve his jacket. “As for me, I’m taking an early lunch,” he told her as he put on his jacket “just take down any messages for me and I’ll respond to them when I come back.” He watched as she scurried over his desk to grab the folders. “And I’m serious Marguerite. Do not let anyone bring these folders back without a written reason why they need my attention more than the ones they have.” Marguerite nodded. ”Yes Tristan, I’ll get to them right away. Enjoy your lunch.” With one final giggle, she disappeared through his door.

He followed soon after. It wasn’t wise that Tristan was going just to have a liquid lunch, but he felt he deserved it. These witches and wizards stressed him out. Making his way to the lifts, he promptly got on one and made his way to the Atrium. Once he landed, Tristan walked over to one of the nearest fireplaces and walked straight through it. The sight of Alzubra Alley instantly greeted him. A few minutes later, he found himself in front of Mirage Lounge. He wasn’t a fan of the wanker who ran it, but Tristan had to give him credit. The place had a good atmosphere and served a mean firewhiskey.

Tristan opened the door to the lounge and walked inside. An Irish folk song was coming from the speakers. He went over to the bar and found himself a seat. Putting his jacket on the back of his chair, he sat down. The bartender instantly put a coaster in front of him. ”What’ll it be?” Tristan pointed the bottle almost directly behind him. “A double firewhiskey on the rocks mate.”

[Keara Sonnet]

The day was nice and the skies were blue. It was enough to make a vampire get sick; although, for some reason, Keara enjoyed these days. When she was younger she hated the sun although it was for a good reason. The majority of vampires turned to dust if they were in the direct sun for a period of time. But the moment Markus had come up with a potion to make vampires impervious to sun, her point of view on the outdoors changed entirely.

She sported her new D’Amanti sunglasses as she strolled down the streets of Alzubra Alley. Her new red cocktail dress fluttered in the breeze as her leopard print pumps clicked against the ground. It was fun to be fashionable, even in times such as these. Half of Austria was worried about what was going to happen next in the attack while the other half just tried to get on with their daily lives. Kea was somewhere in the middle.

She had no care in the world what happened to Austria because she knew she would survive nearly anything. If Austria was destroyed, she’d just make her way to the next country. The only thing she was worried about had resolved itself already. Centara had been out of commission for the past two years and that made the vampires very anxious. Keara was still running Der Keller under Centara’s previous orders. Every branch. The vampires that Centara oversaw had been thrust into her and O’Neill’s control while she was out of commission. They were creatures of habit and did not enjoy change so one could only imagine the uproar they had to deal with. Keara had become a busy witch but with Centara back in the game, she was able to relieve some of her stress. Even though vampires don’t sleep, she almost just wanted to lie down and fall into the black abyss of sleep.

Instead, she chose to go for another abyss. She couldn’t get drunk due to the high metabolism she was cursed with since birth, but she could get her own sort of high. She had precisely the thing to help her with that in the clutch she carried with her. Biting her bottom lip slightly, she turned into the Mirage Lounge. McBain ran this place. Even though she knew Centara hated the guy (she had heard multiple tales of the hatred before they had all graduated from Hogwarts), she couldn’t help but come here.

It always perked her up to be in a lively atmosphere. It was much different from the dead atmosphere of Der Keller. Literally it was dead. Almost everyone in that place had died at the mouth of a vampire and she was sick of the gloom and doom. Yes, Keara was an abnormal vampire but that was what she loved about herself. She wasn’t so negative all the time and even though she couldn’t actually feel, she had learned to pretend and act human. Most of the vampires closest to Centara had. It was the easiest way to stay away from the Ministry. However, put any of them in battle, you would see how insensitive they were to feelings.

As she made her way through the beginning of the lounge, she began to think of all the fun times she had years before. “I miss the quartet…” she sighed as she walked up to the bar and took a seat next to a rather handsome man. The quartet had always made life more fun but everyone had become so busy that no one had time left for her anymore. Instead, she worked and she planned. That had become her life and frankly she was sick of it. She was on no one’s side. She didn’t deserve to be treated like she was taking Centara’s side and working like a slave. Sure they were best friends, but what gave her the right to bark out orders and scream when Keara was doing nothing wrong?

Deciding she wasn’t going to dwell on the past and only focus on what was planned for the future, Keara snuck a glance to the male next to her and smiled slightly before redirecting her attention to the barkeep. He was well kept and she loved his eyes. Such a contrast to her own brown eyes (or red if you caught her in a moment). She had chosen probably the best seat in the house. She needed a new male friend in her life with the loss of Monroe and Caulfield. “The strongest thing you have back there, please.”

[Deleted]

Tristan was only too happy as he heard the ice clinking in his glass. He watched as the bartender put the glass before him, grabbing a bottle of 12 year old firewhiskey as he did so. He was well aware that the liquor being poured was expensive, but he didn’t care. The bloke must have been able to tell that his day was going south. Then again, if someone orders a firewhiskey at 11:30 in the early afternoon it should have probably went without saying.

The bartender pushed the glass over to him after he finished pouring. Tristan nodded once in his direction. “Cheers mate.” He brought the glass to his lips and took a small sip. The bittersweet flavor flowed down the back of his throat. A second or two later, his mouth was greeted by a fiery aftertaste. Tristan smirked. The aftertaste made the liquor.

Sounds of bells chiming sounded as the front door opened. Given that there was not much else excitement going on in the lounge, Tristan looked over his shoulder at the new arrival. His eyes instantly fell on the face of an attractive brunette with a figure that he was sure made males stare. After all, that’s what he was doing now. A cute smirk was plastered on her face as she made her way to the bar. She knew what she had and she knew how to use it. Tristan chuckled to himself. Blokes couldn’t help but be attracted to a woman who oozed confidence.

The witch conveniently chose a seat one over from him, giving him a smile as she took her seat. Tristan shook his head slightly as he turned his attention back to his drink. Another smirk formed from his lips involuntarily. Bringing the drink back up to his lips, he took a second small sip. With a drink like twelve-year old firewhiskey, you didn’t just chug it back. You savored it. You allowed the liquor to settle in with the open air. The mixture of the air and liquor added another layer of flavor. The longer you allowed it to roost, the more exquisite taste you would be rewarded with.

”The strongest thing you have back there, please.” Tristan glanced over at the witch again. Now this was interesting. Normally, with girls like the witch sitting next to him, he was used to ordering them ordering fruity drinks like strawberry daiquiris and rumrunners. There was nothing wrong with that. However, he never help but feel more attracted to girls whom he felt could keep up with him. This girl looked like she had partied once or twice in her life.

The bartender quickly got to work. The bottle he was pouring from filled the air with a licorice aroma. The man wasn’t playing around. Tristan had always considered himself a drinker with fine tastes. He usually preferred strong drinks. Back home in Greece, the natives were known for brewing their own liquor that he was convinced was a fancy name for rubbing alcohol. Yet he could still take swigs of it without any problem. There was something about licorice though that made his stomach feel slightly queasy.

“Put that one on mine mate,” he told the bartender as the drink was set down in front of the witch. Tristan raised his glass in her direction and bowed his head. “Cheers.”

[Keara Sonnet]

As Keara waited for her drink to be served, she could sense his gaze upon her and she absolutely adored it. She loved getting attention from people and would not have life any other way. But when it was an attractive male, she couldn’t help to love it that much more. Taking a quick glance at him, she couldn’t help but bite her bottom lip and chuckle softly. For some reason, when a handsome male came around, she turned into such a softy. It was almost like they were her kryptonite, turning her from a vampire back into a human. It was absurd, but she loved the feeling.

She placed her clutch onto the counter and with a slight of her hand, slid a small vial from it and concealed it within her hand. When the glass was set in front of her, using her vampire reflexes, she tipped the vial into the glass and replaced the vial within her clutch. Even though she knew it wasn’t terrible for people to find out she was a vampire, she still disapproved of allowing people to know her dirty little secret. She never went to a bar and had a drink without her special addition. That was why she used her vampire abilities to ensure she wasn’t caught. She could still enjoy her drink and not be put out in society for being a vampire.

When the man next to her spoke up, she nearly thought she had been caught but instead, she was being treated. She looked over at him and gave him a smile before lifting her tainted glass to him. “Cheers,” she replied, taking the first sip of the glass. She didn’t even taste the liquor. Instead, it was more a taste of a female in her prime: 39 years old, perfectly aged, and no major medical history. Keara had killed her about a week ago while on a hunt with a few of her friends from Der Keller. She couldn’t help but to save some for later and at this point, she was glad she had. But her attention was diverted from her glass back to the male next to her.

Unable to resist temptation, Keara scooted into the seat directly next to him, moving her glass and her clutch with her. “So what’s your name, stranger?” she questioned, raising an eyebrow before taking another sip from her glass. He was cute and had a seductive voice at the same time. For some reason, she felt like she had seen him somewhere before but she shook the feeling. He didn’t smell of vampire or werewolf and considering her only adventures as of late had been in Der Keller, she most certainly had not met him before. She placed the glass on the counter and leaned up against it, deciding right then that she would not mind seeing him around more often.

[Deleted]

Tristan could not deny the satisfaction that filled him once the attractive witch took the seat next to him. Her company would undoubtedly make this lunch more enjoyable. Although he never had a problem drinking by himself, it always made for a more interesting experience to have another. The bloke at the bar didn’t look like he was too much for talking, regardless of whether or not it was part of his job description. Plus, it made Tristan feel less like an alcoholic sitting alone at a bar before twelve in the afternoon drinking a double shot of firewhiskey.

He took another sip from his glass. Merlin was this stuff good. He may have had a doubt or two earlier about drinking so early and while he was on break from his very important job, but those doubts were now erased from his mind. Tristan had absolutely chosen the right avenue to release his stress from the over-piling workload perched on top of his desk. He wondered how successful Marguerite had been with the task she had been assigned. He was sure she was met with backlash from angry divisions of his department. Merlin forbid anyone actually had to do any work at their place of business. However, Tristan had no doubt of Marguerite’s ability to simply walk off. She adored him so much that she would dictate his every rule with an iron fist. He was lucky that she was so attracted to him.

Chuckling to himself, he was about to have some more of his drink when the witch’s voice broke the silence. ”So what’s your name stranger?” Her voice was sultry. Tristan dug it. He couldn’t have expected any less though. A woman who resembled a goddess was sure to have every feature of herself as perfect as possible. “Stavros. Tristan Stavros,” he extended her hand in his direction. “May I have the pleasure of a name for yourself as well? After all, it would only seem fair considering I bought you a drink.” Tristan knew it was a bold statement, but he was fairly sure in his ability with the opposite sex that she would respond to it.

Just to be on the safe side, he would make another comment as not to make this interaction go south before it even started. “I like a woman who knows how to drink. That’s why it seemed thoroughly necessary for me to get your first drink for you. If you play your cards right, there might even be another one in your future.”

[Keara Sonnet]

Tristan? Oh now that was a name Keara could love. It wasn’t one of those names that seemed to boyish, nor was it common. She got so tired of the John’s and the Christopher’s. His last name was pretty sexy as well. Stavros. What country was that even from? Kea smiled slightly before bringing the glass up to her glass. She was enjoying this a little too much. It could be the blood in her drink putting her in a state, but she was pretty sure that only had part to do with anything. Genuine attraction to the male next to her had the most to do with it.

His request for her name only seemed fair, but before she gave a chance to answer, he spoke up again. “I like a woman who knows how to drink.” Keara didn’t know a woman who better portrayed that ability. She could outdrink nearly anyone with the exception of other vampires. Her metabolism allowed her to keep drinking without even the slightest hint of a hangover. Of course she built up that ability for when she had started drinking with the quartet, she actually had the ability of getting wasted. That was a thing of the past, making her adventures with them less enjoyable but yet equally as entertaining.

“I find that reasoning fair enough. Keara Sonnet. Now I must say, I will hold you to a future drink but I’m thinking I might want to take a rain check on that. At least it would give me the chance to see you again after we part today.” Yes, she was blunt about it. She had no reason not to be. Keara could not even remember the last time she had been rejected by the opposite sex. Actually, she couldn’t remember the last time she was rejected by anyone. She tended to have that effect on people. She took another drink from her glass, savoring the taste of the alcohol and blood. The combination was to die for. She set the glass upon the counter once more.

“So tell me, Mr. Stavros, what is it you do?” she questioned, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. He looked too nice to just be another wizard wandering Alzubra at this time of day. Most people out there were out of a job due to the war or they just were too lazy to care. She found plenty of them fitting the second description. He, however, did not fit either. So what was his story? Why was he here in the middle of the day? Then again, the question could be asked of her as well. She thought about it and resisted the urge to giggle. An attractive woman like her drinking in the middle of the day? There were only a handful of possibilities for that and she was pretty sure she didn’t like any of them. She just hoped she didn’t look at her as someone with a nightshift job on a pole.

[Deleted]

Tristan grinned as she took his hand. Her skin was soft and smelled wonderful. This girl certainly knew how to take care of herself. He briefly wondered if she was high maintenance though. That was the only downfall of girls who looked like her. He had dated his fair share of them back in Greece. In Greece, family units are big. Whenever Tristan was taken back to meet one of any of the girls families, not only did he get to meet every aunt, uncle and fourth cousin twice removed, but also frequently found that nearly all of the female witches in the family were the same. It had gotten to be suffocating on nearly every occasion.

After his last bad experience with one, Tristan had sworn off dating high maintenance girls altogether. He was a firm believer in treating a witch like a princess, but those girls took advantage of it. He remembered one witch, Cecilia, whose self-esteem was so bad that he needed to tell her literally every five minutes how beautiful she looked that day. Of course she never believed him so he dumped her after a week of dating. Tristan couldn’t believe he lasted that long in the first place.

The witch revealed her name to be Keara Sonnet. Tristan couldn’t recall hearing her name or seeing her face before. If he had, he surely would have remembered it. Keara had a face that couldn’t be easily forgotten.

His eyebrows rose at the next thing she said to him. A rain check? Were they at that point in their meeting already? Tristan wasn’t complaining. His first impression of Keara had been a good one, but he needed to make sure she was all there mentally before agreeing to any such thing. He had also had the girls who stalked his whole entire life. They looked pretty, but Merlin did they get creepy when he woke up and found their face staring at him through his bedroom window. He really knew how to pick them sometimes.

“Well,” he began, “I could take you up on that, but only as long as you keep ordering what you’re ordering without getting too drunk on me so fast.” Tristan winked at her as he finished. He took another sip from his glass. His glass was now only half-full. That was no good. He needed to get another one ready for so it’d be waiting as soon as he finished this one. “Can you get another one ready for me mate?” he called to the bartender.

“So tell me, Mr. Stavros, what is it you do?”

Well that was a loaded question. Tristan chuckled again as he shook his glass around in his hands. “I do a little bit of everything.” That wasn’t really a lie. “I’m the head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports for the Ministry. Responsibilities include working with a bunch of lazy wankers, doing everything they’re supposed to do and still receiving no credit with how bloody brilliant I manage to do it.” Tristan’s voice was filled with bitterness as he finished talking. He shook his head out of spite and chugged back the last bit of his drink.

The glass made a loud noise as he clunked it down on the bar top. “Sorry,” Tristan quickly apologized to both Keara and the bartender. He looked back over to Keara. “It’s hard when you’re younger than everyone in your department and are in a position of authority.” He was only too relieved when the next glass appeared in front of him. “But what about you Ms. Sonnet? How do you keep yourself busy?”

[Keara Sonnet]

Keara waited to see his reaction to her comment. She knew it was a bold move and she could see it on his face the moment she said it. Oh how she loved the reactions people had when she wasn’t afraid to speak her mind. She had expected an immediate yes which is what she normally got but instead, he gave her an offer. There wasn’t a yes? How odd was that? But then again, in a way it was a yes. He didn’t know it, but she could tip 20 of the glasses into her mouth and the most she would get is a burn in her throat. Oh the beauty of being a vampire. She grinned and tipped back half of the contents remaining in the glass. She ran her tongue across the back of her teeth, savoring every drop.

“I’m sure I could manage that,” she commented, not losing her grin. He was different. Not many men in the world treated her like this. Most of them treated her like a piece of meat or a prize. They wanted to see how fast they could get her to kiss them or how fast they could get her into bed and that was the extent of the relationship. The only guys in her life that had ever stuck around and treated her like she was more than a prize to be won was Damien and Jackson. They treated her like she was their friend because she was. They also treated her like what she was: a vampire. They did not care that she bore fangs when at her finest nor did they care that she had to kill people to survive. It was a refreshing change from her daily life.

Keara had never imagined that she would find anyone else like those two, but Tristan was starting to make her wonder if he was like them. If he would actually treat her like a person. The fact that he didn’t immediately say yes to her offer and instead, gave her a condition, no matter how meaningless it was for her, meant that he was not focused completely on getting her in bed. Was someone setting her up? Or was it just fate? It was as if someone was looking out for her and telling her it was time for her to find someone to spend time with outside of work.

When he spoke up about his day job, it was enough to make her cringe. She hadn’t chosen sides in this war, but it was obvious the side she was closest to. There was little way of her knowing when she was younger but the majority of her friends were DeathEaters. Damien who she had known the longest was a DE and of course then there was Centara. Keara had been living with her for the past 4 years at the Zealon Estate while helping her with Der Keller. She had close ties with the girl and they had started long before she knew her position in the world. When she learned that she was a high-ranking DeathEater, Keara thought nothing of it. The last two years, Centara had been plotting, though. It was almost as if the war had become two sided. Keara was now facing a decision. Would she stick with her friend? Or choose one of the other sides? Rather than choosing sides, she had chosen to stay neutral and keep helping Centara. She knew a lot about the girl and couldn’t help but want to help her, no matter how poorly she was treated when Cen got into one of her moods.

To learn that the man she was talking to and gaining interest in was against those who she called her friend was… difficult. She was her own person though, and she hadn’t chosen a side so what was wrong with her being interested in someone who was against her friends? It wasn’t like he was against her. He didn’t even know her so how would he be? When he seemed to get frustrated with his job, noted by the slamming of the glass, Keara sympathized with him. Working was a bore and could be difficult if working with people who made life that much more difficult. When he turned the question on her, she smiled and downed the rest of her glass. She slid it towards the bartender and motioned for another before turning her attention back to him.

“Don’t apologize. Everyone has frustrations and it’s necessary to get them out. Who better than complete stranger who you just met?” She chuckled softly. “As for me, I’m a business owner, I guess you could say.” Did she dare mention where? What if he knew about who she worked with? Centara’s name wasn’t exactly off the map but Keara had managed to keep hers unassociated. “I co-own and manage a club in the area. It’s called “The Basement”. But I can understand your troubles. Taking care of employees who do not take care of themselves can be a handful.”

Her quick thinking helped her avoid that confrontation. As long as he didn’t translate The Basement into German, she was okay. No one called it The Basement; it was just its unofficial nickname. If he were to know about Der Keller, it would only be one step away from him finding out her blood trait. That just was not something she let a guy know on first interaction. It had taken her forever to inform Damien, but she was sure he got the hint when he never saw her in the sunlight. Her refilled glass was placed in front of her and this time, she decided not to add her secret ingredient. Instead she lifted it to her mouth and took a sip before setting it back down.

[Deleted]

It irritated Tristan to no end how upset his job made him sometimes. It was even worse when he physically showed his frustration. When he had accepted the position change, Tristan knew his workload amount would change. He had started at the Ministry as an intern for his department. He played Qudditch back at home and at Galaxia, having enough interest and talent in it to seek a job that would allow him the chance to do just that. After leaving school, Tristan had been offered a keeper spot on Greece’s national team. Foolishly, he had declined. Not only did he have interest in an internship with the Ministry, but he had signed up for Auror training.

Becoming an Auror was his other dream. He believed in a world that allowed both magical and non-magical folk to interact. To him, there was nothing at all wrong with a muggleborn attending a wizarding school to learn the history and way of their ancestors. There was also nothing wrong with them making friends who were purebloods and simply living the way of life that they chose to do. Apart from that reason, Tristan’s family had seen too many close friends killed by the Dark Lord’s followers. Greece was mostly neutral territory, but Greeks didn’t take kindly to those who invaded their peaceful way of life to further their own aspirations.

At this point in his life, Tristan’s Ministry job was taking over his other. Since finishing his training, he had seen no real action. The only reports of suspicious activities had taken place in other countries. Minister Raghnall had not seen it necessary to send him on any of these calls. His frustration with that was also growing, but that was another thing all together. That was not what had brought him to Mirage. What had brought him here were the wankers he was going to have to return to within the order. The thought of them sent another flow of liquor down his throat.

He was grateful for Keara’s sympathy though couldn’t help to snicker at her last comment. “Who better than a complete stranger? Well anyone really. That last thing I want to do when meeting a witch as beautiful as you for the first time is make myself look like an angry drunk.” Tristan tore his eyes away from her to look at the clock behind the bar. “After all, it is only twelve o’clock. It’s not too common for folks such as us to be drinking so early. Well, at least for me anyway.” He doubted she would take offense to that. If she was willing to continue to sit by his side after his little outburst, then he assumed it was safe that she’d stick around for awhile longer. “That drink can go on my tab as well mate,” he quickly said to the bartender. She deserved it.

He listened with interest as Keara responded to his own question. A business owner? That was something he wasn’t expecting her to say. Tristan could see a girl like her working…elsewhere as ignorant as that may have sounded. He felt bad about his thoughts and punished himself with another sip from his glass. On the other hand, he could see how that worked. Keara’s confidence had to work wonders for her management and negotiating skills. He was sure that she could have ten cases of the oldest whiskey known to magical kind given to her without a second glance.

“I’ve never heard of it, but meeting you has sparked some curiosity,” Tristan admitted, swirling the ice around in his drink, “I may have to check it out as an excuse to visit you sometime.” He shot her a wink before wetting his whistle once more. Tristan wished he could spend his entire lunch here with the attractive witch. Boozing it up with good company was much better than having Higgins almost certainly come to him with a complaint about having to locate a venue for the next Bulgaria vs. Trinidad game upon his return back to the office.

“Is that what brought you in here today then as well? Or were you just taking a leisurely stroll through Alzubra and needed better recreation?”

[Keara Sonnet]

Keara could only smile at his remark to her comment. Beautiful was a word she hadn’t heard in a while. Not since the last she had seen Damien. She got the words “hot”, “pretty”, and “sexy”, but never beautiful. No one respected her enough as a female to tell her that she was beautiful. Apparently that word was reserved just for those women who were respected in the eyes of men. Or it was the fact that most men she was in relationships with were not respective enough of themselves to respect other women. Either way, men were dogs and it was only one step from dogs to werewolves and she didn’t like werewolves. But Tristan was different. That thought kept passing through her mind every time she looked at him or heard him talk. There was obviously something that was attracting Keara to the Ministry employee.

Laughing slightly, she shook her head. “You do not resemble an angry drunk. I guarantee that and I’m sure you don’t have a bone in your body that could even result in that action.” Keara picked up her glass and paused before she brought it to her lips. “And thank you for your comment. I think that’s the nicest thing any guy has said to me in a long time.” She smiled before bringing the glass all the way to her lips.

When he stated that he would have to visit her at some point, she almost spit out the gulp that she had in her mouth but resisted the impulse. Instead, she swallowed it slowly and set the glass down, not giving any sign of her anxiety of her finding out about her actual place of business. If he knew she was a vampire, he would probably arrest her and send her to the ministry to be dealt with. No one there seemed fond of people with blood traits and she was not about to let them make her an example for all of the vampires out there. Forcing a smile, she let out a chuckle. “Maybe sometime I’ll have to take you there.” Of course this was a lie. He wouldn’t enter the establishment even with her near him. It was too dangerous for any human being to enter. Too many wolves and vampires were hungry within the club and would strike at the first living creature to step in the door. She would not subject him to that torture, no matter how hard he pushed.

“It’s part of the reason I came here. The co-owner finally decided to pull her weight and so I actually got a day off.” She didn’t blame Centara for her time off, but she couldn’t help but be angry about it so the statement wasn’t completely false. She took a sip of her glass before setting it down once more. “I figured I would take full advantage of today and see if I could find some good company within these streets. I’m pretty sure that attempt worked out to my advantage.”

[Deleted]

The thought of another meeting with Keara intrigued him. It had been several minutes since their introduction and she had not shown any sign of psychotic tendencies. In his book, Keara was already a winner. “I hope you’ll still feel the same by the end of our meeting Keara.” Chuckling, he took another swig from his glass. Even though he was drinking on an empty stomach Tristan had yet to feel any side effects from the alcohol. He hadn’t expected too, but it was a relief to know that he hadn’t instilled a challenge to a girl that he couldn’t keep up with. Now that he thought about food however he had realized his stomach was growling. “You hungry?” he asked her, looking towards the bartender as he did so. “I could eat a cow.” Catching the man’s attention, Tristan requested two menus for the both of them. Even if she wasn’t hungry, it’d be impolite to look without offering.

He laughed as he listened to Keara’s own woes with her job. “It’s remarkable what happens when people do what they’re supposed to, eh?” Tristan could only dream of how less stressful his job would be to him then. He would probably even leave the office at the end of the normal business day. It was a refreshing fantasy, but nothing more than that. With the exception of himself, it was a rarity to actually find a division head who was a worthy candidate for their job. Tristan was convinced the Ministry had a secret sign-up list somewhere. If you signed your name, you got the job. Didn’t matter if you hadn’t heard of it or not, you got it anyway. Apparently every single bloody job at the Ministry was something you just…picked up. If not, oh well. You still got to keep the job. No wonder the idiots had let a Dark Lord invade a Ministry-sponsored event three years ago.

Tristan smiled at her comment. Well that was a relief. A relationship was only good if both parties accepted the other’s company. “Hear hear!” Raising his glass for a cheer, Tristan threw back the liquor and drained its contents from the glass. As the bartender handed them the menus he pointed to his glass. “Keep ‘em coming mate and don’t stop ‘til I tell you to. The more you bring me, the bigger the tip.” The mention of money caused a grin to form on the man’s face. The man looked as if any mention of money was better than what he was receiving now. He’d tried to remember to tip at least an extra two galleons.

Opening the menu, his eyes began to scan the items. When he finally decided on something, Tristan looked over his shoulder at Keara. “What’ll it be? Anything striking your fancy?”

[Keara Sonnet]

Oh why was he so damn attractive? It was becoming increasingly difficult for Keara to take her eyes off of his features and it was starting to develop into a problem. She managed to catch herself once more and focus on his words instead of his looks. “Oh, I believe my feelings are pretty stable at this point,” she commented, smirking before turning her attention to her drink once more. The satisfaction of the liquor was nothing like it used to be and she seemed to look at it with a sort of longing. Ever since she took a drink and realized she had become immune to the effects of the liquor with her constant purging, she had longed to get the feeling back. Sure, it was pain, but at least it was pain. She felt nothing else in her life with her vampire blood and it was nice to have one thing she felt. But now she was back to nothing, causing that longing for that glass to become some sort of miracle.

He spoke again and she turned his attention back to him, pushing the yearning back into her head again. But then he brought up another thing she longed for. Not as deeply, but enough for her to bite her bottom lip lightly. Hunger. Oh he knew nothing of her hunger and this establishment would certainly not curb that hunger. Shrugging lightly, she answered, “Sure, why not? It is lunch time, after all.” The food would do nothing for her as most of the time she could not taste. But there was always hope that maybe this time would be like some previously where she did taste?

“Now if only we were able to convince people to do their duties at all times, we would be set.” She grinned at the thought of people in the world doing what they were supposed to do. That would be a miracle and she was pretty sure if that happened, the world would spontaneously combust. The image of Austrian business owners working as they were supposed to almost made Keara laugh out loud. Yeah, there would be no possibility of any of them actually taking their business seriously. And with Tristan informing her about the Ministry being unable to keep to their responsibilities, there was almost no hope for the world. If those who were supposed to keep it safe could not even do such things, how would there be hope for anyone else? Shaking her head, she commented, “We’re going to be working our whole lives, Tristan. Might as well admit it now. Those of us responsible enough to do our jobs are going to be screwed forever.”

Keara downed half of the contents of the glass as Tristan began to speak to the bartender once more. She opened up the menu and glanced over it while he mentioned keeping his glass filled. He was really serious about this drinking thing. He was going to be awfully upset at the end of their visit if he was already suffering from the effects and she was showing no signs of being affected. Although that meant that they would be meeting each other once more. There was no downfall to that outcome. “I think you caught his interest,” she mentioned, watching the bartender as he perked up and became suddenly enthused about his job.

“I haven’t eaten at a place like this in so long. It makes everything look tasty,” she answered, her eye finally catching sight of something on the page. “Oh, I got it. Lasagna.” She adored the pasta dish and got excited the moment she saw it. “How about you?”

[Deleted]

Tristan was happy when Keara had accepted his food invitation. Regardless of whether or not she had done it because she knew he was going to pay for it or was just trying to be nice, he didn’t care. He never liked eating alone especially when in the company of beautiful women. Too many times had he been subject of dirty looks and disgusted expressions from pretty witches after they had watched him at meal time. He could never help it. He was a growing man. Not to mention he was Greek and had been accustomed to consuming large portions from family meals. His mother had never made just enough for the family. There had always been enough dinner on the table to accommodate twenty people instead of eight. Tristan had never complained though. His mom’s cooking was superb. It also was the thing he missed most about home. Ever since he had started working full-time at the Ministry he had only been home for the holidays. Damn the job for affecting every aspect of his bloody life.

He could feel his mood growing sour again as she continued to talk about the working life. She had a point. Having a career was one of those things that was the normal part of an adult’s life. His job seemed to BE his life though. It wouldn’t have been nearly as bad as it was to him if he didn’t have other aspirations with his life. To him, those aspirations were a more dominant force than what he was doing now. Tristan longed for the time when he would no longer be stuck behind the confines of a desk and instead be running around the European countryside hunting down DeathEaters. His frustration was growing daily and showed no end in sight. There wouldn’t be until he was given his chance. The worst part was that Tristan didn’t even know what he needed to do to prove himself. He figured that if his Auror training had been impressive enough then someone had come to him. No one had.

With the looming threat of depression sinking in Tristan focused his attention back on the menu. “It’s an unfortunate world we live in.” That would be the last thing he would say on the subject. He began to read over the menu items. He had never eaten here before but everything looked good enough. Pricy of course, but the Irish loved their money. Tristan was sure the firewhiskey he was drinking had to be at least ten galleons a glass. He smirked at her comment, looking at the bartender as he did so. “I think the mention of extra money is enough to catch anyone’s interest. I’m sure however that he knew what was coming when he started pouring from that bottle over there.” He pointed towards the 12-year-old firewhiskey. “Don’t take it as complaining, but I never asked for that. I have the funds so that’s not the issue, just the moral aspect. I’m sure his boss makes sure they never ask, just do. I’m sure this place makes stellar money if that’s what they all do.”

The witch was becoming more and more attractive with everything that came out of her mouth. ”Oh, I got it. Lasagna.” The dish may have been Italian, but he still enjoyed it. “You keep getting better by the minute.” Tristan was about to order the same before noticing something else. “As for me, I’m going to get the rib-eye,” he said, shutting the menu. He needed his protein. Taking Keara’s menu, he put the two in front of the bartender. “We’ll take a lasagna and a rib-eye mate, cooked medium and with a loaded baked potato.” His mouth started watering at the image. As the bartender turned his back to the two to put in the order Tristan reached for his glass and took a drink. “So what do you do in whatever spare time you have off from your job?”

[Keara Sonnet]

“It’s an unfortunate world we live in.” That was the understatement of the century, however Keara got the feeling that Tristan was done with the conversation. He turned his attention instead to the menu and she chose to take a drink instead of commenting. Honestly, she hated the world. Keara had always attempted to give people the benefit of the doubt and try to believe that the world really wasn’t a terrible place but she was always reassured by one person who she came across. She was not a person to hate anyone, but almost every instance in her life, she found one person who just had that extra bit of annoying qualities that sent her over the edge. The good news? She wasn’t afraid to kill that person when they got on her nerves. Under cover of night, she’d find them and make a feast of them instead. Unfortunately, there was no way for her to get rid of all those who made the world the unfortunate place it was. The only way to do that was to kill everyone and start all over from scratch.

She swirled the liquid in her glass before taking another sip and setting it down on the counter. Humanity itself was becoming the world’s biggest problem. That was the biggest reason Keara backed Centara in her plans. It was time for those with the ultimate power to take over the world, but when Tristan spoke, it was a reminder of why Keara hadn’t completely backed Centara just yet. There were still people in the world who were worth saving and deserved to stay just the way they are. They were like everyone else, stuck in a world where they were being taken advantage of. Those people were the one’s Keara wanted to be surrounded with and luckily, she was sitting next to one right now.

Kea’s eyes followed Tristan’s direction as she took a look at the bottle he had been receiving his liquor from. It smelled amazing, but firewhiskey always did. The harder the liquor, the better it smelled in her opinion; though nothing beat the beautiful crimson red liquid that really satisfied her appetite. “I think I agree with you about that. I’m sure in some cases, you could probably even arrest the owner for being a thief. If you have time, we could always go hunt him down later and do such a thing. I wouldn’t mind seeing the owner arrested.” She grinned at the comment. Evan was definitely one who was after money and she was sure he did have a ‘don’t ask, just serve’ policy. In every instance that she had been in this establishment, she had paid more than top dollar for all of her drinks. However, she had the money, and never seemed to care much because the environment was exactly what she was looking for. There was always that hope in the back of her mind that Evan would be arrested for something and the club would see a drop in prices, but she never held her breath.

Running her tongue across the back of her teeth, Keara began to feel her hunger creep up on her. Unfortunately, her choice in food was not going to satisfy that hunger but she would have to wait to satisfy her craving. She was not going to leave Tristan just yet. She enjoyed his company too much to do that. When he made the comment about her food choice, she couldn’t help but smile, handing over her menu. “I must say, you’re not too bad yourself,” she said after he placed their order. The meat sounded amazing, but of course she took her steaks raw. The fact that he was having it cooked made it sound unappetizing to her. She still did appreciate a man that loved his meat. Vegetarians and vegans made no sense to her and she tended to stay away from those types of men.

“That is a difficult question to answer,” she started, her smile fading slightly, “since I don’t really have spare time. In fact, I feel like I haven’t slept in years. When I do have spare time, however, I’m a fan of shopping, dancing, and most importantly, meeting men who spark my interest.” The last part was most definitely true and with every word, her interest in Tristan grew further. “What about you? And please do not tell me that you’re secretly gay in your spare time because I’m sure you would crush me right about now.”

[Deleted]

He was starving. Tristan had been enjoying his company so much that he hadn’t realized how loudly his stomach was grumbling until the bartender had taken their menus away. “Merlin,” he said to himself, clutching his stomach. He hoped the food didn’t take too long to cook. He was thankful for the advances in cooking that magic helped with, but even that didn’t reassure him. Tristan would give the kitchen ten minutes before started heckling the bartender. The man would have to deal with it given the fact that he’d be getting a fat tip at the end of his lunch. Glancing back up at the clock he saw that fifteen more minutes had passed by. He had thirty more minutes until his lunch was over. Thirty more minutes to down as much firewhiskey as he could so his mood wouldn’t be so irritable when he went back to his office. The prats in his office would be just as appreciative, or more annoyed with his inevitable lack of attention. Drinking the last bit of his drink Tristan glanced over to the bartender and pointed down to his glass.

He listed intently as she began telling him what she did in her spare time. There was no doubt in his mind about the shopping part. The clothing on her body did not appear to be made of cheap fabric. The part about dancing made his eyebrows rise to the middle of his forehead. He wondered what type of dancing she liked to do. Scanning her figure once more Tristan allowed his imagination to run wild. Her own question made him laugh heartily. “Gay? No sweetheart, I am as manly as they come.” He made a fist and beat once into his chest with it. “It takes more than a pillow to knock this much muscle down.” Allowing his ego to take hold of him Tristan flexed his right arm to show her his bulging muscles. “See?” He could feel the liquor began to have an effect on his brain. He was only a musclehead when his alcohol got the better of him. Tristan grinned and lowered his arm. “In my spare time, which I barely have, I drink, go to the gym and play pick-up games of Quidditch with my best mates from back home. Nothing fairy like about that, eh?”

The smell of grilled meat greeted his nostrils. Tristan turned his head to see the bartender coming out of the back with the food in his arms. He rubbed his hands eagerly together like a small child. “I’m starving,” he said to her, looking back over his shoulder. “You better eat everything in front of you before I get hold of it.” He hadn’t meant to sound rude, but it was the truth. Tristan was like a human muggle garbage disposal. Anytime his sisters hadn’t been able to finish their meals back at home they always gave him their remains. He would happily accept them before moreorless opening his mouth and letting the food from the plates slide in. His mother had frequently hit him with her dishtowel in disgust.

The plate landed in front of him and without thinking anything of it he began to dig in. The meat fell of the bones so easily. It had been cooked perfect. The cheese layered on the potato was melting into the crevasses of the inside. He moved his fork to slide the butter back up to the middle of the vegetable. “Sorry,” he apologized with a mouthful, “jus..so..’ungry.” He hoped she would understand.